Ultra-high vacuum systems, e.g., such as those available from ColdQuanta, Inc., for studying ultra-cold matter, may have a silicon body with optical access provided by “windows” of Pyrex® or other borosilicate glasses. These windows may be anodically or otherwise bonded to the silicon to form hermetic seals to maintain an ultra-high vacuum within the silicon body.
There are many situations in which it may be desirable to remove a window. For example, it may be desirable to access the device interior to clean, to replace a spent or defective component, or to exchange an internal component to repurpose the device. However, it can be difficult to break a hermetic glass-silicon bond without damaging the glass, the silicon, and/or heat-sensitive and other components of the UHV system. As a result, it is not uncommon to simply discard and replace a UHV system without salvaging some of its expensive components. What is needed is an approach that permits debonding of glass from silicon that does not lead to costly damage so that separated components can be reused.